Evening all. The Islay birdwatching community is apparently on strike, so we will make our own entertainment tonight. Mary sent us this view from Claddach (bandit country!) yesterday, but it was so grey and miserable today I'm going to pretend it's more recent. Mary also had a group of 4 whoopers heading south at lunchtime.
I hope you enjoy this image, as things are about to get bleak. Earlier this week RSPB released the results of the 2021 corncrake surveys in Scotland, showing another nationwide decline. The full announcement, numbers and further context can be found here, but basically the Islay population is falling faster and harder than the Scottish population generally, down to just 26 calling males this year. The Islay count was over 100 as recently as 2015. It'll be more important than ever next year to report the locations of any calling males, so consider this an early plea to all on Islay to keep an ear open for these elusive birds come April.
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